From the small suburb of Denison, Victoria, to the World Championships in Switzerland, Missen is embracing all the opportunities that life throws at him.
“People are often amazed by the opportunities I am given, getting to leave my small hometown and see the world with my favourite sport”, says Missen.
Like many other athletes, Missen has to put his working career first to fund a large portion of his playing career.
However, when it comes to improving his own game, Luke claims that the live-action from international tournaments is invaluable when it comes to inspiration, training and tactics.
As it happens, this year will celebrate the first time that the TOTAL BWF World Para-Badminton Championships 2019 coincides with the able-bodied TOTAL BWF World Championships. Both events take place in Basel, Switzerland from 19-25 August 2019.
“Watching other players at Para-Champs is one of my favourite things to do other than competing of course. I always look out for Jack Shephard and Krysten Coombs as they have been the benchmark for the SS6 competition for a number of years now”
“It’s good seeing other players that are now challenging the top players as this shows me that if you keep working hard and embracing opportunities with being able to compete against these top players then there is always a chance to beat them”, says Missen.
Luke will compete in the Short Stature 6 (SS6) Singles and Doubles, where he can learn, and potentially compete, against his favourite players.
Moreover, Missen admits that he isn’t as familiar with the badminton scene as one may assume, bu the is thrilled by the prospect of watching the world’s top players and future Olympians compete in the same venue at the same time.
“Although I love the sport, I don’t follow the badminton world too closely so I am not as aware of the majority of players – but I can’t wait to watch the players compete side by side”, says Luke.
Competing on the international stage won’t come as too much of a surprise for Luke. He is Oceania’s reigning SS6 singles champion and has competed internationally in 2019, with aims to gain valuable points from the World Championships as he aims for Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games qualification
You can keep up to date with the player’s progress and all results on the official website.
